The check-engine light comes on immediately before the vehicle loses the ability to accelerate. While driving, including at highway speeds, pressing the accelerator does not produce normal propulsion and the vehicle loses motive power. If I pull over, turn the vehicle completely off and restart it, the check-engine light clears and normal acceleration returns. The problem is intermittent and has occurred more than once. The dealership has previously been unable to identify the cause because the vehicle operates normally after restarting.
2020 Honda CR-V: check engine light
25 of the 363 complaints about the 2020 Honda CR-V describe check engine light.
- owner complaints
- 25
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical mileage
- 70,000
- recalls
- 0
Check engine light by model year
What owners say
All of the ADAS lights, check engine, and brake lights come on every 2-3 weeks. Has been taken to the shop multiple times now. So far have had the battery changed, spark plugs changed, and fuel injectors.
While out of state for thanksgiving in 2025. after stopped for break, car started up with all of the warning lights and check engine lights on. Like front radar out, hybrid system fault and etc. took to Honda dealership near by immediate. Diagnosed (their words) customer states check engine light is on and flashing pulled codes had code p0562 and pOED. traction motor control module system voltage low and HV battery cell voltage sense circuit. went through honda trouble shooting and honda states to replace power control unit (PCU) and battery condition monitor module. test drove vehicle codes came back recommend replacing modules. includes reprogramming. They indicated it is not safe to drive as you may not able to start the car or it can die while running. This was at out of state and have to repair without options and get a rental car for a week. Tech said they never seen that before in hybrid. Local dealer back home said they can’t say they had issue before. Reached out to Honda Corporate before Christmas and they declined good will reimbursement request.
When driving on highway, the engine light came on and the car suddenly slowed down causing me concern about traffic around me still going at highway speed. Not understanding what the issue was and afraid the car would lose all power, I was able to shift lanes quickly to get to the breakdown lane. I was able to get the car to Honda Dealer driving at slow speed using back roads. The Honda Dealer confirmed an engine misfire caused the engine light and slowdown. The cause of the misfire was coolant leaking into engine cylinder and would require replacing the head gasket to fix the problem. The car had 75,000 miles and had been running fine until that point.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and failed to exceed 50 MPH while depressing the accelerator pedal. The message "Cooling System Failure" was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted and advised that the vehicle should not be driven to prevent additional damage. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with a blown head gasket. The head gasket and other unknown parts were replaced at the owner's expense, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
I got onto the free and accelerated to the speed limit. I glanced at my dash and saw the check engine light start flashing. I could feel the car start to lose power and handle differently than normal. I immediately pulled to the shoulder and had the car towed to the dealership. They diagnosed it as having a blown head gasket and that coolant had gotten into 1 of the cylinders. The adviser informed me that 2018-2022 1.5 turbo and hybrid engines have been having issues with blown head gaskets. I had also been seeing complaints of that on social media before this happened to mine. My vehicle has over 100k miles and it isn’t even 6 years old. I have had older Hondas, acuras and Toyotas with similar mileage or more and no issues like this. If so many drivers are having blown head gaskets Honda needs to be looked into for this and have a recall to repair their defect. The service adviser told me it was nothing I had done to my vehicle to cause this. I get oil changes when the maintenance light comes on and I have completed scheduled maintenance on my vehicle. I also use Costco gas 95% of the time and only use other brands when traveling.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was coasted off to the shoulder of the highway and restarted. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode after restarting. The vehicle was slowly driven to the local dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #4. The contact was informed that additional diagnostic tests were needed to determine the cause of the failure. The contact inquired several times about the vehicle, but was not given a direct answer or updates on the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,500.
My 2020 CR-v hybrid has suddenly lost power on the freeway a total of 4 times in the 6 years I've owned it. It is always at freeway speeds. The flashing engine light appears and the car loses power. After pulling over, turning off the car, and waiting a few minutes, the car can be turned on and driven with no more flashing engine light and no more problems for months. Each time I've taken it to the dealer and each time they haven't been able to replicate or find the problem. I've been told that error codes were not generated. I purchased my car new in July 2020, and the power-loss incidents were: - Fall 2020 - Summer 2022 - December 2024 - June 2026 A google search shows that many other crv hybrid owner have experienced the same problem, and also have had service technicians unable to find problem. This is a major safety concern.
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The fuel delivery system and engine power management. The vehicle suffers from sudden "Limp Mode" activation and total loss of acceleration. The vehicle is available for inspection. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My safety was severely compromised when the vehicle suddenly lost power while traveling at highway speeds. This occurred twice in high-speed traffic, creating an immediate risk of a rear-end collision as the vehicle could no longer maintain the flow of traffic or accelerate away from danger. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. The issue was reported to a dealer in 2024, but because the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) turned off after a restart, the dealer was unable to reproduce the failure or find stored error codes at that time. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, it was inspected by an authorized Honda dealer in 2024, but no repairs or actions were taken as they could not replicate the fault. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No. There were no prior symptoms or early warnings. In both incidents (2024 and yesterday), the engine light illuminated simultaneously with a sudden, localized loss of speed and a total inability to power up or accelerate while on the highway.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle suddenly decelerated with the check engine warning light flashing off and on. The vehicle was slowly driven to a nearby gas station. The vehicle was restarted and operated normally and was immediately driven to the local dealer. The local dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred once before. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was informed of the federal safety agency Action Number: PE25016 (ENGINE); and associated the failure with the federal safety agency Action Number. The failure mileage was 27,327.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started losing automotive power. The check engine warning light started flashing and then remained illuminated, and the vehicle failed to accelerate above 15 MPH. The contact stated that the battery was drained and showed only one bar of battery charge on the instrument panel. The contact stated that after pulling over and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal operation. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
I am experiencing intermittent loss of motive power. Without warning at highway speeds I get a flashing check engine light immediately before the loss of motive power occurs. Motive power can be restored by turning the ignition off and back on. However, this action also clears the check engine light and any fault codes that were set. I drive with a code reader in the car and have received a P0302 code. This has happened at least five times since May 2024. It is available for inspection. I have brought it into a Honda dealership for repairs, they have changed the fuel injectors and pistons and it is still occurring. I was told this time that they did not know what was wrong so they could not repair anything. The safety of myself, my husband, and my seven month old daughter was out at risk as it occurs when traveling over 55 miles/hour and we lose power. We have to try and navigate to the side of the road to turn on and off the car. This problem was reproduced by a dealer this last time it went into the shop and it is there currently. The vehicle has only been inspected by Keeler Honda in Latham, New York. There were no other warnings prior to this failure. It has occurred multiple times, May 2024, November 2024, Feb 2025, March 2026 I have a video of what happens but I cannot upload it. This is exactly what is happening in the federal safety agency Action Number: PE25016
Service bulletins that may apply
- Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may
- Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may
- Dealer Message
- Oil leak at timing chain tensioner inspection cover due to possible insufficient sealant adhesion on...
- Dealer Message
- Dealer Message
- Dealer Message
- The vehicle message "All Wheel Drive System Problem" is shown on the dash
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2020 Honda CR-V check engine light
Is check engine light a common problem on the 2020 Honda CR-V?
25 of 363 owner complaints about the 2020 Honda CR-V (7%) mention check engine light. The model year with the most reports is 2017.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2020 Honda CR-V?
There are 0 recalls and 24 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2020 Honda CR-V
Fuel pump 21Warning lights 20Loss of power 15Collision warning 12Stalling 11Airbag light 9Jerking 9Phantom braking 9Sunroof shattered 9Adaptive cruise 8Misfire 8Seat belt 8No deployment 7Engine failure 6Lane assist 6Won't shift 6Headlights 5Steering noise 5Won't start 5
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